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TOPIC SEVEN: SELECTED ASPECTS OF AFRICAN RELIGI-OUS HERITAGE
Question a: Explain African beliefs about God (or qualities)
African beliefs about their God are found in their proverbs, myths, songs, prayers, narratives and religious ceremonies.
God was believed to be a supreme being who was beyond human understanding.
The African communities believed that God was all-powerful – omnipotent.
They believed that God’s power is expressed in natural occurrences such as thunder, earthquake floods and volcanic eruptions.
God is believed to be all-knowing omniscient.
He is limitless and knows hears and sees everything.
He is also omnipresent – meaning he is everywhere at all times.
Transcendent – beyond human understanding because of the transcendent nature, Africans found it impossible to represent him using physical representations. They viewed him as being far yet too near them.
He was seen as the provider and sustainer of creation.
They believed that God is everlasting. He has no beginning or end.
God is merciful.
They believed he is incorruptible.
African communities associated God with justice.
Physical features were often seen as a representation of awesome power of God. This is why large mountains, thick forest, unique rock formation were used as shrines.
African viewed God to be mysterious.
Q b. Describe the African understanding of the Hierarchy of Beings
Hierarchy of Beings
Divinities
Ancestors
Human Beings
Animals and Plants
Non-living Things
God as the creator occupies the highest rank in the hierarchy of being – creator.
The Divinities: Came next and control natural forces in the universe, created by God.
The Common Spirits: Comprise spirits of people who died long time ago.
Ancestors: (living dead): Spirits of those who died recently and are still remembered by the living.
Human Beings: Consist of the living and the unborn.
Animals and Plants: Come next – for man’s use as food and sacrifice to God.
Last (7th) are non-living things such as mountains, rocks, rivers, caves, dwelling places of God and Spirits.
Qc. Describe the Role of the ancestors to the living
The ancestors acted as intermediaries between God and human beings.
They communicated the problems and wishes of human beings to God.
God and the spirits used the ancestors to express their wishes concerning human beings.
The ancestors welcomed those who died to the spirit world.
They helped to preserve the culture and standards of a community.
The ancestors blessed the living and corrected them through punishment.
Q d. What was the responsibility of the living towards God?
To show gratitude to God and give thanks to him as an acknowledgement that He is the giver of life.
To honor, worship and adore God by praying to Him for their needs.
To pray to Him during or before a war, before planting, etc.
To obey and trust Him.
To take care of God’s creation
To teach children about God.
Appease him through sacrifice
Q e. Describe the Traditional African ways of worshipping God
Sacrifice: They were used to ask God’s favour, thanksgiving, to avert evil and ask for forgiveness, before planting and after harvest, epidemics, birth, naming, invitation, weddings, funerals etc for different reasons.
Offerings: Foodstuffs e.g. grain, honey, beer, milk was offered in recognition of God as owner of property and provider.
Prayers and invocations: Commonest act of worship. A continuation activity done anytime as the need arises.
Song and dance: People were involved both physically and spiritually. This brought the city together.
Blessings and Salutations: Expressed in greetings and farewells e.g. “Go with God”, God be with you”.
Q f. What were the African ways of venerating and communicating with the spirits and ancestors?
Venerating means showing respect to somebody.
Spirits and ancestors were venerated because they were believed to be senior to human beings and closer to God.
Sacrifices were offered to them as the ways of venerating them.
Pouring libation was done.
The living invited them during ceremonies such as birth, invitation, marriage and burial.
They consulted diviners, mediums and medicine men to keep in contact.
The living named after them – thus they became immortal and members in the physical world again.
Their names were mentioned during prayer.
By maintaining their graves
Giving them proper burial ceremonies
TOPIC EIGHT: AFRICAN MORAL AND CULTURAL VALUES.
Q a. What is the significance of the kinship system?
Kinship means being related either by blood or marriages.
The kinship system was important in the traditional African society because of the following factors.
The kinship system regulated people’s behavior towards each other. This promoted peaceful and harmonious relationships.
It promoted co-operation among community members especially in times of difficulty.
It helped to ensure that the disadvantaged members of the community were taken care of.
The living dead and the ancestors were part of the African kinship system. This showed concern or the families or relatives they left behind.
The kinship system led to the preservation of cultural identity.
It provided a peaceful way of settling disputes with the elders acting as arbitrators.
It ensured fairness and transparency in sharing out inheritance.
The kinship system united the members of a family and clan by giving them a sense of belonging.
It helped people to establish new relationship, especially through marriage.
Kinship ties regulated marital customs rules and regulations. People who were related in any way could not be allowed to marry.
Q b. Outline and explain factors contributing to harmony and mutual responsibility in the Traditional African Society
Good morals: Every member of the community was expected to do the right thing according to the norms of the community.
Participation in communal activities: Means of the community were expected to participate in communal activities e.g. wrestling, dances and communal work.
Sharing: People shared ideas and even property, which created harmony among the people.
Division of labor: Tasks were distributed according to one’s age; gender to avoid conflicts in roles.
Rules: In Traditional African Communities, elders, men youth, and women had their respective roles to play that enhanced harmony in the community.
Virtues: Virtues like generosity, obedience, kindness and honesty were encouraged since they contributed towards harmonious living.
Religious beliefs and practices: A common belief in God, the spirits and ancestors created a sense of togetherness.
Q c. What was the purpose of bride wealth in the Traditional African Society?
It was a way of thanking the bride’s family for taking good care of her.
It was a form of compensation to the bride’s parents because the woman would now belong to another family.
It was a sign of contract that the man would marry the girl and they would live together until death.
It represented evidence of the groom’s ability to take care of a wife and a family.
It was a sign of generosity on the side of the man.
It initiated a long-lasting friendship between the families of the groom and the bride.
It cemented a marriage.
It was a symbol of the marriage covenant between the bride and the groom.
Bride wealth served as an outward seal of the marriage contract.
Q d. Explain the role of medicine-men in the African Communities and their relevant today
1) Medicine men
They are also referred to as healers, herbalists or traditional doctors.
They identified illness and their causes.
They identified appropriate treatment and prevention measures for the illness.
They averted the effects of a curse.
They offered sacrifices and prayers to God and the ancestors.
They prepared charms for protection against witchcraft and evil spirits.
They gave medicine to increase fertility in both people and animals.
They acted as counselors, guiding people on all issues of life.
2) Relevance of Modern Society
Modern medicine has not fully displaced herbalists.
Medical doctors and scientific researchers today work side by side with traditional healers since herbs are used to make modern medicine.
Some people still believe that there are some illnesses that cannot be treated in hospitals hence; they turn to herbalists.
Some people also believe that medicine people who practice magic have the power to change their fate.
